A Nurse led Danny to a conference room where Doctor Preston was talking to Kevin and Carmen Robinson, Amber, and Ty's younger sister Jia. The Doctor stopped as Danny entered and greeted the Robinson's.
He embraced the ladies and shook hands with Kevin before saying, "I didn't mean to interrupt, please Doctor Preston continue"
The Doctor finished up and let them know that Danny would take them to Ty, and then after the family expressed their gratitude he left the room.
Kevin then asked, "Danny, we know know about our boys physical injuries….how is he doing emotionally?"
"He's hurting….we're very glad you're all here for him….he needs you. How much did JJ tell you about the mission?"
Kevin replied, "Not much. He told us that Ty had been captured by rebels in Colombia during a mission and that he and one other man had been rescued. He said that they had been tortured and two team members had been killed. That's really all we know Danny. Was anyone hurt during the rescue?"
Danny nodded, "Yes…..Javier Gomez was shot and he made it back here…but he didn't survive the surgery"
Carmen gasped, "We knew Javier. He joined our family for Thanksgiving last year. He was a beautiful young man"
Kevin then inquired, "Any others Danny?"
"Steve and Sam were injured"
"Steve and Sam? They were part of the rescue team?"
"Yes, it was a twenty-six man team, including Sam's Marine Unit, Steve's old team and myself"
Carmen took hold of Danny's hand, "You saved my boy…..God bless you Danny"
"I was a very small part of it Carmen. Watching these men in action was an unbelievable experience. Your son is a very brave man and you should be proud of him"
Carmen leaned in and kissed Danny's cheek, "We are proud Danny…we're proud of all of you and we're eternally grateful"
Amber then asked softly, "Are Steve and Sam going to be okay?"
Danny nodded, "Sam is fine. He was bit by a snake in that God forsaken jungle but the team had an anti-venom on hand and he's fine. Steve is still in danger…..he's critical. He was shot in the abdomen during our withdrawl and the bullet was too deep for us to remove it. He survived the surgery but he had developed a severe infection that led to sepsis. They had to remove his gallbladder and a portion of his liver as well as a large amount of infected tissue. His body temperature is dangerously low and they're trying to warm him and increase the blood flow to his organs. He's in the Intensive Care Unit"
Kevin said softly, "He'll make it Danny….you'll see"
Tears welled in Danny's eyes, "I know he will….you need to know that there was no way in hell Steve was going to leave that jungle without Ty. I know you're worried about his emotional well-being, we all are, but Steve will help him. He's been through it all….he's been tortured, and he's seen his brothers, men he was responsible for, die before his eyes…and I can tell you he's suffered greatly because of it. I've been with him when he's had nightmares about his missions, and over the years he has opened up to me more. I know for a fact that he talked to Ty about this. He wanted him to know everything he would face with becoming a SEAL. When I say that Ty is brave, I don't only mean about the dangerous missions they perform, I also mean about the emotional torment that they need to learn to live with. As I said, Steve will help him, he will be there for him and so will his SEAL brothers. I'm sure Steve will give you guidance on what you can do to help him but I know in Steve's case, I'm just there… I'm there to listen to him and to comfort him whenever the memories get too difficult for him to deal with" Danny's voice cracked with emotion and Amber took his hand in hers and as tears slid down her cheeks, she said softly "Thank You Danny"
Taking a deep breath Danny said, "Are you all ready to see him?"
They all replied that they were and Danny led them down the hallway to their son.
They entered Tyler's room to find him sleeping and Sam sitting quietly at his side with his bandaged ankle propped up on a chair. As Sam went to stand, Kevin held out his hand saying softly, "Don't get up Sam"
The Robinson family all took turns giving their unofficial 'son' hugs and kisses and then Amber and Carmen moved to Tyler's side.
Sam said, "He should be waking up soon. He's going to be so happy to see you all"
Danny pulled up chairs for everyone and then leaving them to visit with Sam he excused himself to go check on Steve.
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As Danny entered the ICU he heard Chin talking softly to Steve as he approached the bed.
Looking down at his partner, he smiled as their eyes met and he took Steve's hand in his "Hey Buddy, you're awake. I'm sure Chin here is telling you a bunch of BS about you looking better, well believe me babe, you still look like hell"
Chin smirked, "Great bedside manner Danny. I think we need to work on that a bit"
Danny smiled "Steven here doesn't like BS Chin Ho Kelly, you know that! But, I've got some great news for you partner. I just came from Ty and HE is looking a lot better and he's resting comfortably. Amber, Jia and his parents are with him now" Steve's grasp on his hand tightened as Danny added, "He's going to be fine Steve, I promise you. Now you need to rest and get your strength back because he's going to need you to help him deal with all this shit"
Steve squeezed his hand and knowing his friend as he did, Danny said softly "You're welcome. Now remember, blink once for yes, twice for no….do you need any more pain meds?" Receiving two blinks in reply, Danny then added, "Okay, now close those baby blues and sleep, I've got your six babe"
Without releasing his grip on Steve's hand Danny sat back into the chair at bedside and after sending Chin home to get some sleep and update Kono, he too dozed off.
Back in Tyler's room, the young man woke a couple of hours later to be greeted by his wife and family surrounding his bed. He smiled up at Amber as she stroked his bruised and swollen face, saying hoarsely "Hi baby"
She grinned at him as tears welled in her eyes, "Hi…how do you feel?"
"I'm good honey, just a little sore…..I'll be fine though"
Leaning down and kissing his lips gently she whispered, "I love you Ty"
"I love you too"
His Mother, Father and sister all moved in and kissed him and after visiting for several minutes Ty asked Sam, "Sammy, how's my Dad doing?"
"He's holding his own partner. They're still working on the infection but Danny's with him"
"Good, that's good. How about Owen and Javier?"
"Owen's doing well. He's resting and his family's here"
"Okay good…and Javier?"
Sam hesitated slightly and Tyler choked up, "Shit….. no Sam"
"He went into cardiac arrest on the table brother…..they couldn't save him"
Tears were flowing down Amber's cheeks as she placed her head gently against Ty's saying softly, "I'm so sorry honey"
The others all left the room giving the young couple some time alone and as the Robinson's moved to the cafeteria, Sam made his way to the ICU to give Danny an update.
Steve was still sleeping as Sam appeared at the door of the ICU. Danny moved with him into the hallway.
"Hey buddy, is everything alright?"
"Yeah, we're giving Ty and Amber some time alone. I just told him about Javier"
"Is he okay?"
"No….but he will be"
"These guys are the first brother's he's lost aren't they?"
"Yeah…and to lose three at once….."
"Have you lost anyone?"
"Two….two damn good men on a mission last year in Serbia. It's hard Danny because you always ask yourself why them and not me?"
"There will never be an answer for that Sam"
Sam chuckled as he added, "All the training we go through…..all the shit to toughen us up and prepare us for handling this crap. It means nothing when we lose a brother"
"Son, if you didn't mourn for those you loved you'd go crazy"
"Danny, I look at Steve and Jak and they're so damn tough, nothing fazes them…"
"Are you kidding me? Sam, I've grown very close to Steve over the four years I've known him and I can GUARANTEE you that every brother he's lost has taken a piece of his heart with them. You're right, he's damn tough but he's also human Sam. I know he told Ty about the nightmares he has…..did Ty tell you?"
"Yeah he did"
Danny continued softly, "He has the damn nightmares every week Sam...every fucking week. Times like these are the worst. When he's hurt and his defenses are down…and when he's on pain meds…the dreams come constantly and it gets really hard on him. Every death haunts him and when he has his moments of weakness it terrifies me. All I can do is listen to him and hope and pray that talking through it will be enough. He may have moments of human weakness Sam, but he's the strongest man I've ever known. Each and every one of you who serve our country are hero's and I'm damn proud to know you. Tyler is going to need you. He'll need Steve and he'll need you. There are things he'll never be able to tell his family, things he CAN'T tell his family and he'll need you just as you'll need him" Danny chuckled, "I've grown to HATE the word classified, because as much as I want to help Steve, there are so many things he can never share with me, things that eat away at him. Just be there for Ty buddy …...and love each other"
Sam shook Danny's hand, "He's the best friend I've got in this world Danny…I do love him, and I'll be there for him…always"
Danny Williams smiled at the young man because he knew exactly how Sam felt and he also knew that this proud, honorable military man meant every word he said.
***** More to come - I hope you're still enjoying and I'd love to hear from you ! *****